Unfulfilled Promises
by evenstar lady
Summary: Now eighteen, Rukia finally returns to Tokyo to continue her studies at Karakura University. One night back in Tokyo, her first kiss is stolen by a mysterious handsome man, who later turns out to be the university's richest, coldest and most handsome star student Kuchiki Byakuya. Who is he, why does he seem to know her? What are these promises he seek from her? ByaRuki AU, rated M.


**Long time no see, _evenstar lady_ is back to surprise you with another new story in spite of all her other stories on hiatus (boo!). XD Well, I hope you have all been keeping well and keeping well with ByaRuki love as well. :)**

**Update of my job: Currently in Obstetrics and Gynaecology, delivering babies every hour. :D On another plus point, I've recently moved into a new home, it's a really lovely place and I look forward to adding new things to my bedroom. XD**

**There's always a reason for my updates, and this time it's because I started reading an incredibly girly Shoujo manga, and suddenly I started visualizing it happening ByaRuki style and decided I wanted to write it out a bit. XD I will leave it to you to guess the manga, I changed the storyline a bit but you will be able to recognize the manga's influence in the plot. :)**

**Also cookies to **_xSilentWolf_** who sent me a lovely PM some time ago, I really appreciate it. You might be a little disappointed that this isn't an update of my other fics, but I hope you will like this little chappie here. :)**

**And I hope all of you reading this will **

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Bleach or its characters, they belong to Tite Kubo. I own this story.**

* * *

**UNFULFILLED PROMISES.**

_**Huff. Huff. Huff.**_

** The little girl's violet eyes were wide as she ran, her breaths coming out in short gasps. She turned left and right, scanning the garden frantically. **_**Where… where is he?**_

** "Over here!" The young girl turned as she heard that familiar voice. A smile reflexively formed onto her lips as she ran toward the figure huddled over something on the ground. In her excitement to reach him, she tripped over a single stone jutting from the ground.**

** "**_**Oooofff**_**!" The girl fell, landing on the ground with her hands out in front of her. In the distance, she heard him yell and then a pair of small feet were thudding quickly toward her.**

** "Geez. You are a clumsy one." He bent down to examine one scrapped knee, before producing a clean handkerchief from his pocket and carefully tying it around her leg. **

** The girl looked up, her eyes teary. **

** "What?" The young boy looked at her, his grey eyes concerned. "Does it hurt?"**

** "No!" The girl shouted, her eyes now fixed on the ground, refusing to look at her companion. "I will never cry because of pain!" She shook her head stubbornly, as her eyes filled with more tears. "You… you left me!"**

** The young boy, who looked momentarily surprised at her outburst, started to smile.**

** "What's so funny?" The young girl grouched, hesitantly looking at him.**

** "I did not leave you. I came out here… to make something for you. Rather, something for the both of us."**

** This time, the curiosity won out over the curious little girl's heart. Ignoring her slightly bleeding knee, she looked at the boy with wide violet eyes. "Really?"**

** The boy continued to examine her knee silently. Finally satisfied that it was not a serious scratch, he nodded at her, smiling. "I learned about it yesterday, when they took me out for dinner. You won't know about it yet, I think."**

** "What is it?" The girl smiled. Was this going to be their sixty-eighth secret together?**

** "It's… this!" The boy slowly opened his right hand to reveal two rings on his palm, woven from the long grass. "I just finished it just now."**

** The girl gasped as she stared at the hand-woven rings. "What are these?"**

** "They are… **_**rings**_**." The boy smiled. "I went to a wedding yesterday."**

** "W-Wedding?" The girl bit her lip, looking confused. **

** The boy nodded, his grey eyes bright. "It is where people get married, a boy and a girl. They get married, and then live together in one big house. And they cook and play, and do everything together everyday!"**

** The girl clapped her hands together. "That sounds wonderful!"**

** The boy nodded. "I saw the boy and girl put rings on during the wedding. I asked the uncle next to me, and he told me that it is a sign of the marriage." He smiled. "So I decided to make the rings today, I learned it from a hands-and-craft book at home. The rings that I saw yesterday were gold in colour, but I figured grass rings are easier to make… and they are softer too."**

** "They… are pretty." The girl smiled at the grass rings.**

** The boy smiled at his companion. "We will take one each. And when we are big enough, I will marry you! And we will live in one big house, and play with each other… and no one will be able to tell us to stop!"**

** The girl's violet eyes lit up like jewels. "Really?"**

** The boy smiled. "So you will marry me?"**

** Theyoung girl smiled back and threw her small arms around the boy happily, hugging him. "Of course I will marry you!"**

** The boy hugged his companion back, his normally pale cheeks pink, his grey eyes soft. Then they untangled from each other and he held the rings up. "Alright, this was how I saw it. We will take turns putting the rings on each other, on our fourth finger."**

** "Okay!" The girl took one ring and carefully slid it onto the young boy's finger, and he did the same in turn. They stared down at the rings, now snugly fit onto their fingers.**

** "They fit perfectly." The boy smiled. **

**The little girl grinned back at him.**

** "And next time, you don't have to run around looking for me." The boy wagged a finger at his companion. "Just stay right where you are."**

** "I won't be able to find you then!" The girl protested.**

** "No." The boy smiled confidently. "Just stay right where you are… because **_**I**_** will always find you in the end." **

** The girl blinked in surprise, and then slowly began to smile. "R-Really?"**

** The boy nodded, his grey eyes intense. "_I will always find you in the end_."**

* * *

_Darkness._

'What time is it?'

Kuchiki Byakuya opened his eyes in the dark and stretched his body slightly, causing the silk covers to slide down further along his naked body. He slowly put one hand to his head.

'Just another dream.'

Had it been due to too much alcohol last night? That would hardly be the reason, no amount of alcohol was known to faze him. It had just been one of his usual Sunday nights at the Moon club downtown, the usual smoking, dancing, groping, making out, drinking. Byakuya did not practice the use of drugs or designer pills, he was a little too classy for that and did not prefer going into class with an idiotic slur or stumble. He usually frequented these clubs in the evening, and then retreated to a hotel to rest for the night before the start of the week.

These dreams came and went once in a while, sometimes more frequent at times. He was already beginning to forget what it was about.

"Hmmm… mmm… you are up already?" The sensual purr came from his right.

Oh right, he had forgotten that he had also brought _that_ with him to the hotel. The woman had been hanging around the club last night, dressed in a sexy red mini dress and sending very heavy signals to him from the other side of the room. She had sauntered confidently over to him across the dance floor and practically danced in his lap. After a session of heavy groping and kissing, Byakuya had taken her back to the hotel with him.

Not that he was serious. He was _never_ serious with any woman he had taken with him to the club or hotel. They were just an outlet for a hot-blooded youth like him, so he used them occasionally. And with his good looks, his money and his fame, the women flocked to him like bees to honey.

He was Kuchiki Byakuya, the star student of Karakura University and heir to the Kuchiki Electronics Corporation. He juggled work and studies, already working as a part-time executive at his family business giant while effortlessly topping the academic chart and sports scoreboards.

He was handsome, rich, single, smart… and he couldn't care _less_.

"What? Are you leaving already?" The woman pouted at him, purposely letting the covers slide further down her own naked body.

"Not without a good fuck," Byakuya growled as he reached for some protection on the bedside table.

The woman smiled and reached out to kiss him but he swiftly flipped her over without warning. She mewled in protest but Byakuya easily rammed himself into her from behind. The protest easily turned into loud moans of pleasure from the female.

"_Ahh… mmm… ahh_!"

Wet skin slapped against wet skin as Byakuya thrust rhythmically against the woman's body. He hardly paid any notice to the woman in front of him, only going harder and faster at his own pace. Moving toward his orgasm, he reached out and gripped a handful of her long brown locks.

He had already forgotten her name.

* * *

Kyoraku Rukia breathed in the afternoon air as she stepped out from the bus in the middle of the city.

_Tokyo._

The petite girl took the time to take in her surroundings; the bright billboards, the tall buildings, the sunlight. It all looked different, even the air smelled different from Spain.

"A bit nostalgic?"

Rukia turned to smile at the older man who had just descended the bus and was now standing next to her. "Strangely enough, Otousan, I don't remember a thing about Tokyo."

Kyoraku Shunsui smiled softly at his daughter. "Don't you, now?" He looked up at the sky. "We have been gone for about ten years."

"Or maybe you can't remember anything because you hadn't met me then… so there was nothing special to recall." Kurosaki Ichigo laughed as he jumped down from the bus, two duffel bags tucked under his left arm.

Rukia laughed at her orange-haired best friend. "Quit it already."

Ichigo smiled as he stood beside Rukia. "But man, I haven't been back in a while, too."

"You were here last year to visit your old man, remember? You come back almost every year." Rukia prodded him hard.

Ichigo chuckled and nodded. "Still feels like a long time though."

"Imagine how it must feel for me right now." Rukia collected her bags. "I moved away from this place when I was eight, and I am eighteen now."

"Let's see. You must feel… _old_." Ichigo laughed, ducking an incoming swat from Rukia.

"Kids, kids… let's not get too violent now." Kyoraku smiled. "We still need to catch another bus, and then there's the unpacking to do."

"Hai, hai, Taichou!" Rukia teased her father, who made a horrible puppy face at her.

* * *

"_Arigato_! Thanks for everything!" Rukia bowed as Ichigo waved goodbye to her.

"Don't try to chase me away. I will be back! See you tomorrow on campus!" Ichigo shouted as Rukia laughed. She closed the door and went back into the house.

Rukia stared at the white washed walls of her old home, situated in the Karakura district of Tokyo. This was the house she had grew up in, and she could only recall faint memories of running about the place clutching a rabbit plush toy. Rukia had been singlehandedly brought up by her father, Kyoraku Shunsui following her mother's death when Rukia was only two years of age.

Rukia loved her Otousan very much, he was a funloving person who was also equally caring and protective toward his family. He often wore a pink flowery coat over his shirt, which Rukia felt was rather the eyesore but... a very, very _endearing_ eyesore. He often pretended to be a pervert and was often a subject of laughter for his close friends and family, but Rukia knew how much he had loved her mother.

Other than that, Rukia had loved Spain very much, when she had first moved to Madrid with her father when she was eight years old. She had gone to school there, learned Spanish and soon acquired her personal group of friends. It was also where she had met Kurosaki Ichigo in high school, a fellow Japanese who had moved to Madrid a few years later after she did. Soon enough, she and Ichigo became best friends.

Rukia had been working hard for entry into the Complutense University of Madrid, one of the oldest universities in the country. But she and her father, even if they had a happy life in Spain, were not very well-off financially. Despite her father's steady income as a telemarketer and her own added odd jobs outside of school, there were times when they could barely make ends meet. Life in a metropolitan city could be harsh, as Rukia soon found out when they could no longer pay the rent for their apartment. Not wanting her father to be kicked out and living on the streets, she realized that their property still laid untouched in Japan and suggested to her father that they move back to Tokyo, secretly dashing her own dreams of going to the Complutense.

Surprisingly enough, Ichigo followed suit, declaring that life in Madrid had 'worn out its fun', though Rukia secretly thought that he was only doing so to keep her company. He would never admit it and she stopped questioning him, only happy to have his long lasting friendship when she could barely hold on to anything else.

And so she was back in Tokyo now, in a country she had left a decade ago and was still struggling to adapt to. But she would eventually, for the sake of her father and her own self. Rukia had sent in an online application to the Karakura University in her home district, applying for a spot on the Biomedical Science course. She was a pretty good hand at the sciences, and figured the time could be used to earn a bit more money to stabilize their life back in Tokyo. Ichigo had also sent in an application himself for computer science to the same university.

The house they had returned to was relatively untouched, though already bearing signs of aging after being left unoccupied for so long. The boards needed fixing, and there was a hole waiting to happen in the roof over the kitchen. Rukia realized that she needed to start earning money, and earn it fast.

"So… shall we go out for a celebratory drink?" Kyoraku smiled at his only daughter, disrupting her from her thoughts. "It's almost evening and we have finished unpacking, we could take a walk around the neighbourhood. You know, scout for some adult women for your poor father's eyes?"

"Otousan, you look tired." Rukia chuckled, but then she got up. "Or rather, how about I go get the drinks? And we can sit nicely in the living room and reminisce?" She laughed slightly.

"That sounds like a party."

Rukia soon let herself out the front door with some spare change in her sling bag, coupled with the pepper spray her father had insisted her to bring along since she was twelve. She started on an unfamiliar route toward the left, looking for shops.

In reality, she had rejected her father's offer for a walk because she wanted to scout around for odd jobs on her own. She had about an hour or two before nightfall, and Rukia was confident that she could find two or three income sources by today. In Madrid, she had been a pretty hard worker and could perform almost any kind of task. She had been a cleaner, a waitress, a bookshop keeper, and a florist. Rukia liked being independent and she had enjoyed working and providing for her family.

Here in Tokyo, it wouldn't be any different.

Her eyes lit up as she caught sight of a 'Worker Wanted' sign hanging outside the glass window of a cleaning supplies store.

"Hello." Rukia put her best smile forward as she approached the shopkeeper. "I hear you are looking for someone to hire?"

* * *

Byakuya idly twirled the glass in his right hand, the expensive Ley .925 swirling with frosted ice inside. He lazily surveyed the pub, where bottles of wine lined the shelf and the women sat at tables with their respective companions, their skirts sliding dangerously high up on their hips.

The young Kuchiki heir took another swig of his drink, it seemed as if _nothing_ looked interesting tonight. He was not paying attention when the door of the pub swung open and a group of four men walked in.

"Are you Kuchiki Byakuya?" One man, evidently the leader of the group, walked forward. He appeared to be in his thirties and had tattoos spiralling up both arms.

Byakuya looked calmly at the man. Without another word, he turned back to take another drink from his glass.

"Hey, I was talking to you!" The man shouted angrily.

Byakuya turned back coldly to the man. "Yes I am. But I believe I do not have business with the likes of you." The deep voice was equally cold.

A vein twitched at the forehead of the man. "Don't try to be smart with me! And after fooling around with my woman two days back!"

"_Oh_." Byakuya looked up slowly.

"Do you know who you are messing with? I am Neon Oki, of the Oki brotherhood… and I'm going to show you what happens when you mess with my property!"

Byakuya took another drink from his glass, before placing it back onto the counter. "She was on to me first… all of the women do." His tone was emotionless.

"You bastard!"

Byakuya slowly got up from his stool chair, and was immediately hit by a wave of drowsiness. The leader's lips twitched in a smile as he watched the young Kuchiki heir.

_So this is what it is about._

"It appears that you drugged the drink." Byakuya calmly wiped his lips. "That is going a bit too far, destroying something you cannot even afford to buy."

"I WILL KILL YOU!" The man surged forward, his three accomplices following close behind him.

Byakuya leaned back against the counter, his eyes fixed on the advancing opponent. The drowsiness was mild, and the young Kuchiki heir easily fought it down. After all, he was Kuchiki and Kuchikis did not let something trivial such as sedating drugs handicap them during a fight. As the man rushed forward, Byakuya put his foot out and swiftly kicked the stool in front of him, hitting the man in his midsection.

"Neon? Even the name is _cheap_," Byakuya spoke, his voice filled with cold disdain.

The other three men rushed in front of their leader and Byakuya leapt into their midst, throwing one punch at the man on the left. He swiftly turned and caught the advancing blow from another, twisting the offending man's arm behind his back. The man let out a strangled yell and Byakuya pushed him into one of his companions, knocking both of them to the ground.

The flash of silver caught Byakuya's eyes… and he turned, his bare hand catching the sharp blade poised at his abdomen by the last henchman. "The blade is cheap too," he muttered coldly as his other fist collided with the enemy's chin in a sickening crack.

Byakuya easily dropped the blood-stained blade to the ground and turned back to the bar. The waiter bowed his head but Byakuya reached out, immediately clenching his right hand around the waiter's neck.

"AAARGGKKK… p-please…" The young man began to splutter and began to turn blue, as he struggled against the iron grip.

"The next time someone pays you to ruin my drink with cheap drugs, tell me," Byakuya whispered, his voice deadly cold. "I will pay you double." He pulled the waiter forward and then threw him back against the wine shelf, shattering the glass. The young boy collapsed to the floor in a heap.

Byakuya took out his cell phone and pressed a single button. "Come, I am down by the pub." His voice was emotionless. "Someone ruined my mood for the night." The young heir picked up a clean napkin on the counter and tied it around the wound on his right hand, which was starting to drip blood. He picked up his coat and threw it over his back, carefully stepping on the men that lay on the ground on his way out.

Byakuya stumbled slightly out of the pub, causing a few stares from the passing people. He closed his eyes for a while, calculating that the drowsiness would cease in about fifteen minutes. He walked forward away from the pub and leaned against the concrete wall, resting his body and senses.

* * *

Rukia had been walking around town for two hours now (and had happily picked up two odd jobs to her list) when she had seen the man stumble out from somewhere, probably a pub.

He was a tall man with pale skin and black hair that reached to his shoulders. He had movie-star good looks, a sharp chin and well-defined jaw line and was dressed in a casual but classy black shirt and pants that definitely complimented his built. Her attention was diverted from his handsome features however, when she noticed that the bandage over his right hand was soaked with blood.

Concerned, Rukia had dashed forward. What had happened? Was this man attacked? Why was he bleeding?

She stopped in front of him, he had not noticed her presence yet. Was he alright? Or was he going to faint? Rukia peered at him closely… and then opened her mouth.

* * *

"Are you… alright? You are… bleeding."

A shadow fell over him as he heard that voice. It was strong, almost deep but definitely one that possessed feminine qualities. Byakuya turned his head upward, where the dim lights of the lamppost threw shadows around the figure.

Her big violet eyes were filled with honest concern as she stared down at him, her short raven hair falling about her oval face. She was thin, wearing a light green blouse over jean shorts, which easily enhanced her petite frame. A single worn-out sling bag hung from her left shoulder. The light from the lamppost threw a halo around her figure as she stared down at him. But those eyes, those violet eyes…

_ It… couldn't… be…_

Before he knew it, Byakuya reached out for her. He saw those violet eyes widen in surprise and the girl began to back away but he was too fast. The Kuchiki heir straightened up suddenly, the drowsiness a small price to pay to look her properly at eye level. He pushed the girl back against the concrete wall along the side of the street.

She looked back at him with those familiar violet eyes again, and he could see that he was starting to frighten her. Her left hand shot out to hit him but he easily intercepted it, holding it easily in place with his own. Her right hand was searching her bag, probably for a weapon to threaten him with, but Byakuya was again too fast for her. He gripped her right hand with his, bringing it against the wall securely despite the pain of his wound. Her hand was small, her skin felt warm.

_ Could… it… be…_

She yelped in surprise as he abruptly gripped her hands tight. Her mouth was open to draw in large breaths of air, he could see that she was preparing to scream…

And the scream lodged in her throat as Byakuya leaned in and crushed his lips against hers in a fierce kiss.

* * *

Rukia felt her heart hammering in her ribcage as she stared back at the stranger. In a flash, he had her pinned up against the wall as she had approached him.

This man was… _dangerous_.

Rukia's right hand frantically groped for her sling bag, desperate to reach the pepper spray can. But before she even had the chance to touch it, his hand had easily stopped hers, bringing it to the wall next to her head.

_ What did he want? What did he want with her?_

Rukia felt her entire body go into panic mode, as she struggled against the stranger. He was much too strong for her, he countered all her attempts to escape with little to no effort. And his body… his body seemed to be moving closer to hers.

Rukia took a deep breath, she would scream. She would scream and alert everyone! And maybe… maybe someone could come to her rescue! _Please… please…_

Rukia opened her mouth but her eyes widened in shock as the stranger swiftly moved in…

… and _kissed_ her.

She felt his lips press against hers, hot and demanding. She struggled against him, he responded by pressing his body firmly against hers, his hands gripping hers tight. She tried to wrench her mouth away from him but he chanced upon the gap between her lips. His tongue easily slid past her lips, exploring her mouth in a desperate and equally sensual way. He tasted of strong alcohol, mint and something strangely and familiarly floral. Rukia hated it… she hated him, this stranger who was forcibly kissing her. His mouth slanted easily over hers, completely dominating the openmouthed kiss. His hands held hers, his body pressing her urgently against the wall.

And then it stopped as the horrible stranger moved his lips away from hers, taking her first kiss with him.

Immediately, Rukia felt angry tears jump into her eyes as she stared at the man in front of her. Anger, terror, distrust, fear…

"_How much_?"

Rukia's eyes widened in dismay as she heard the deep, cold voice. The stranger was now looking at her with his intense eyes. The misty grey appeared a little unfocused, it was as if he had been drugged, but there was something whirling within them, something intense, almost dangerous.

"How much is your price?" He repeated the question again. "I will pay."

Rukia's eyes widened. And then…

The sharp sound of skin against skin rang out in the silence of the street… as Rukia slapped the man hard across his left cheek.

She held her right hand in front of her, breathing hard. "_How… dare you_!" The petite girl exclaimed in anger, forgetting her fear in a second.

The stranger loosened his grip, momentarily caught off guard as she slapped him. Seizing the precious opportunity, Rukia pushed out hard against him, this time successfully dislodging herself from her trapped position against the wall. She immediately broke into a run, putting as much distance between herself and the dangerous man.

She didn't look back once.

* * *

Byakuya stumbled back against the wall as he watched the figure disappear around the corner. He reached out and touched his lips, still warm from contacting hers.

Fast footsteps rang out in the street, this time from the opposite direction that the girl had ran off. "Young Master!"

Byakuya watched as his chauffeur appeared, flanked by three of the Kuchiki guards. "Young Master, are you alright?"

Byakuya waved his hand slightly, indicating that he was fine. He turned to the opposite corner, where the girl had previously disappeared to. The young Kuchiki heir contemplated going after her, but finally dismissed the idea. She had had a head start, after all.

_Was it a hallucination?_

"We will return back to the mansion." Byakuya slowly walked back to the luxurious car waiting for him. "And call Abarai, immediately."

* * *

Rukia walked silently back to her house, lost in thought. She had been thoroughly shaken after her encounter with that strange violent man, even small noises would cause her to jump now and then.

_ Maybe it was a bad idea to return to Tokyo, after all._

It was just her first night back, and she had almost been violated by a man she had stopped by to offer assistance! Rukia wrapped her arms around herself, shivering again at the thought of those scary grey eyes. She had seriously been considering going to a police station to lodge a report against the man, but Rukia finally brushed the idea aside. It would only get her into more inconvenience, not to mention the worry it would cause her old man. And he had already been fussing about her fitting in well at Tokyo.

Rukia decided she would just put the whole incident behind her and try to forget what happened tonight.

Rukia unconsciously touched her lips with her fingers. That had been her first kiss… and it had been taken in the most unimaginable way ever. She had always imagined a walk at night by the seaside, the moon, a man she loved, and romantic music drifting from a nearby seaside party. Definitely not against a dirty concrete wall and definitely not taken by force by a complete stranger.

Rukia shivered again.

She was just going to have to put the whole thing behind her. After all, she was probably never going to meet that man again.

* * *

**Fat chance much, Rukia? XD This is a bit unlike my usual ByaRuki style isn't it? Because bang, I hit you in the face with a ByaRuki kiss in the first chapter. XD A short one, but still a kiss nonetheless. XD I wanted to make Ukitake as Rukia's father in this story but since I already have that going in the Demons fic, I decided to experiment with Kyoraku instead (he would make a more playful dad anyway :P) even though he doesn't have all that much contact with Rukia in Bleachverse.**

**But oh well, bump me a review, guys! :D **

**Let me know how much you like/hate this fic, what you are predicting for the plot, which manga you are guessing this comes from (heh!), what this fic could need, any corrections, even an update on how life's going in general or how much you miss ByaRuki (and me, perhaps? lol). XD**

**Love, evenstar.**


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